Rajiv Shah

Dr. Rajiv Shah led the efforts of nearly 10,000 staff in more than 70 countries around the world to advance USAID’s mission of ending extreme poverty and promoting resilient, democratic societies.

Under Dr. Shah’s leadership, USAID applied innovative technologies and engaged the private sector to solve the world’s most intractable development challenges. This new model of development brings together an increasingly diverse community—from large companies to local civil society groups to communities of faith—to deliver meaningful results.

Dr. Shah also managed the U.S. Government’s humanitarian response to catastrophic crises around the world, from the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

Through an extensive set of reforms called “USAID Forward,” Dr. Shah worked with the United States Congress to transform USAID into the world’s premier development Agency that prioritizes public-private partnerships, innovation, and meaningful results. He currently serves on the boards of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, as well as participates on the National Security Council.

Previously, Dr. Shah served as Undersecretary and Chief Scientist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he created the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, he spent eight years at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led efforts in global health, agriculture, and financial services, including the creation of the International Finance Facility for Immunization.

He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and the Wharton School of Business. He regularly appears in the media and has delivered keynote addresses before the U.S. Military Academy, the National Prayer Breakfast, and diverse audiences across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Dr. Shah was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He has served as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, been named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40, and has received multiple honorary degrees.

He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Shivam Mallick Shah and three children and has given up mountain climbing for family bicycle rides.

It's a great honor to speak here today on the topic of ensuring inclusive approaches toward peace processes and post-conflict peacebuilding. I want to thank American University's School of International Service and Julie Mertus in particular for their leadership in putting this program together, along with BlueLaw LLP, the Stimson Center, and Women Enabled. I also wanted to salute the work of our own dedicated professionals at USAID, including our Disability and Inclusive Development Coordinator Charlotte McLain-Nhlapo and Senior Governance Advisor Chloe Schweinke.

The fundamental reality is that immense challenges like climate change, poverty and food insecurity aren't going solved by traditional approaches. The scale of those challenges is so massive, they will require new innovations, driven by the transformational power of science and technology. To drive this approach forward, we are embracing innovation and science as a core part of our work-recapturing USAID's legacy of transformational development through technological breakthroughs. The legacy that helped bring us the Green Revolution and oral rehydration therapy. And a legacy that helped green the Sahel, transforming 50 million hectares threatened by desertification-an area larger than Sweden-into sustainably productive lands.

Good morning, and thank you, Noam, for that kind introduction and for your important work here. I'm pleased to be able to join you today and want to thank Brookings for all the great work that you've been doing in this space.

I want to acknowledge Senator Chris Coons, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs. Senator Coons has been a passionate, astute and dedicated partner to developing nations from his very first day in office.

New Delhi - Nearly 80 years ago, Mohandas Gandhi addressed FICCI members at one of the organization's annual meetings.

Established in 1927, FICCI was a young organization then, with nowhere near the massive reach or scale that the organization now enjoys.

But one thing that has stayed the same throughout FICCI's history is its unifying belief. It is a belief that has FICCI such a powerful force for good in the world; a belief that strengthens India's reputation as a rising power.

Good morning and thank you for inviting me to be with you today. It's a great privilege to be here with World Bank Group leadership, senior Colombian government officials, and so many distinguished participants from throughout the region.

Good morning and thank you for inviting me to be with you today. It's a great privilege to be here with World Bank Group leadership, senior Colombian government officials, and so many distinguished participants from throughout the region.

I want to congratulate the World Bank Group for the recent launch of the ninth Doing Business report. USAID has had the honor of playing a central role in the Doing Business project from the beginning, and we are proud of the accomplishments that the report has spurred, not just in Latin America, but throughout the 183 countries covered globally.

It's fitting that Bogota is playing host to this event. Colombia has made such impressive progress in recent years that the Doing Business report has recognized the country as a top 10 global reformer.

Good Morning. Thank you Congressman Ritter for inviting me to participate in the conference. I would also like to congratulate Farid and the I Group on the award it received at this conference. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to address the Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber and USAID have shared a common commitment to rebuilding Afghanistan. We have both worked to attract investment, generate employment, and expand market linkages.